It took us about 19 hours to get here from Madrid but we are finally settling in to Arequipa, Peru. At each of our stopovers in Bogota and Lima, we ended up having about 5 minutes to get to the correct boarding gate so not a lot of time to even see the airport. We flew with Avianca and they turned out to be a great airline.
We arrived in Arequipa with one less suitcase then we left with from Madrid. The folks at Avianca tracked it down to the airport in Bogota within five minutes and delivered it to our front door the next morning. That was pretty good service. It’s also the first time we have ever lost a suitcase on any airline during our travels.
So we have been here for exactly one week now and just moved into our new place. There are many apartments and houses available to rent but most are unfurnished. We went through a realtor since that is the safest bet, especially for newbies in a foreign country. We also went the totally furnished route since that is the easiest way to start.
When they say furnished here, they mean furnished. All the linen, appliances, dishes, etc are included. You can just move in and start living. We didn’t have to buy anything at all except food.
People here are really friendly and helpful but I am definitely glad I have about 1400 Spanish words under my belt so far. Some speak English but the majority do not. Knowing the French that I do certainly helps. There are many similarities between the two languages.
So what are our first impressions? The food is incredible! So many bakeries, coffee shops, and local restaurants and bars. Our first visit to the local grocery store was an eye opener…I have never seen so many different types of cheeses in one place! It is going to take awhile to try them all. And then we have the variety of beef, sausages and other meats. They definitely like their food here!
We have already got one person who is going to show us where to buy cheap wine and alcohol later this week. Apparently it is much more expensive in the grocery stores. She is also going to do a little Peruvian cooking for us.
One thing we didn’t count on is the number of hills we encounter when walking around. Everything is up and down. We are basically in the foothills of the Andes at about 8000 feet. The fact that there is no heating or AC in any home tells you something about the climate. Pretty much in the 20s every day year-round and cools down at night. Not to mention the 300 days of sunshine per year.
So far, we are liking it a lot! The historic old town with its many interesting sites, shops and large Plaza de Armas is a five-minute walk from our apartment. We’ve already found a few favorite little spots to eat and will eventually get to know the whole place pretty well.
Until the next time!
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